The totally off-topic thread

[GarrettM]

breakfast included?

Doubt it. We stayed at the T2 transit hotel last week, and all we got were vouchers for $15 off the buffet breakfast.
We did not use them.

 

[JohnK]

breakfast included?

Don't think so unless you have club access. The Ambassador hotel rates include breakfast but it'd have to be a very expensive breakfast at that rate?

 

[Denali]

Old phone, I would delete website history via settings-website management and I was able to read SMH again.

New phone, I do the same but unable to read SMH or The Australian because Ive exceeded my views for the month.

Grrrrr.

 

[JohnK]

Agreed. And ALDI doesn't pack so doesn't charge. Sorry @JohnK, but you are already paying.

I am paying and it's currently included in my shopping bill.

But from early April my shopping bill will be the same or higher but have to pay more to carry the shopping home.

Yep. What a brilliant idea for extra profit. They didn't poach some staff from Qantas?

 

[Pushka]

Old phone, I would delete website history via settings-website management and I was able to read SMH again.

New phone, I do the same but unable to read SMH or The Australian because Ive exceeded my views for the month.

Grrrrr.

I think that’s a website change that’s happened in last couple of weeks. Same here with Adelaide now.

 

[Pushka]

I am paying and it's currently included in my shopping bill.

But from early April my shopping bill will be the same or higher but have to pay more to carry the shopping home.

Yep. What a brilliant idea for extra profit. They didn't poach some staff from Qantas?

BYOB.

 

[serfty]

And the reusable "green bags" is that it has to be used over weekly for 2 years so that the energy and materials used are then on par with single use bags. Some say 1 year. Then it is not biodegradable but only degradable - so it breaks down to little pieces.

Check out microplastics in marine animals. These are more of a problem than biodegradable single use bags. Its the hard plastics, folks!!

Those 'biodegarable' bags decompose into trillions of little bits of plastic leaching into our waterways and poisoning us, the fish (we eat), and all the other animals.

FAQ

Choice says: In Australia, the term biodegradable usually refers to plastics that are 'compostable', meaning they will break down when placed in a home compost bin or commercial composting facility. When disposed of correctly, a compostable plastic will almost completely biodegrade within six months – a big improvement on the 100-plus years it would take for something like a normal plastic bag to break down in a landfill."

Do biodegradable rubbish bags work? What are the alternatives? | 1 Million Women

This is why biodegradable plastics are not effective yet because they must be disposed of correctly or they may never break down as claimed. Furthermore, disposing of them correctly is harder than you'd think. In Australia, for example, "the majority of products currently available are labelled 'compostable', meaning they need to go to a commercial composting facility."

Rowan Williams, president of the Australasian Bioplastics Association, told Choice there are only around 150 of these facilities in Australia, but not many of them are in the major cities.

I haven't seen any biodegradable plastic bags at any store. The current plastic bags are far from biodegradable. They may fragment over time, but not degrade.

The closest thing would be the cotton bags you can buy at some stores.

I'll repeat: Biodegradable plastic bags represent 0.1% of landfill leaving the other 99.9% to its own fate.

The situation re landfill and such plastic bags is well and truly over dramatised.

 

[RB]

Old phone, I would delete website history via settings-website management and I was able to read SMH again.

New phone, I do the same but unable to read SMH or The Australian because Ive exceeded my views for the month.

Grrrrr.

They have revamped their web site in the last week or so. Join the State Library & use your member number to log in to library site and read the SMH online

 

[Hvr]

Interesting times in the Australian Border Force:

Australian Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg has been sacked after helping his girlfriend get a job within the organisation.

 

[JohnK]

BYOB.

Read my previous post. I don't plan my shopping trips. I go when I have time. I'm not going to carry bags around with me everywhere I go.

Silly decision and a blatant cash grab.

 

[Pushka]

Read my previous post. I don't plan my shopping trips. I go when I have time. I'm not going to carry bags around with me everywhere I go.

Silly decision and a blatant cash grab.

Que sera. Bigger problems to angst about.

 

[JohnK]

Que sera. Bigger problems to angst about.

They all add up. CPI salary increases aren't enough to keep up.

P.S. Have about 50-60 plastic bags in apartment. Must remember to get some more next week before heading off to Thailand.

 

[Pushka]

They all add up. CPI salary increases aren't enough to keep up.

P.S. Have about 50-60 plastic bags in apartment. Must remember to get some more next week before heading off to Thailand.

But if you arent using them and you dont carry them with you for shopping then why stock up more?

 

[Hvr]

P.S. Have about 50-60 plastic bags in apartment. Must remember to get some more next week before heading off to Thailand.

Geez, they are so prolific in Thailand I reckon you could get a suitcase full with a day's shopping for minor purchases. They look at me funny there when I refuse to accept the plastic bags.

Still, I'm just a strange Farang there so they tolerate my polite refusal.

 

[Flashback]

I think the feeling is that we won’t be done on Sat night. And all those pre votes are not counted until days later. How stupid is that. In the USA they don’t toddle off to bed mid count but keep counting. But here in Oz counting stops mid stream.

Ditto for the UK, but it's first past the post here rather than having to look at the whole preferences malarkey.

Old phone, I would delete website history via settings-website management and I was able to read SMH again.

New phone, I do the same but unable to read SMH or The Australian because Ive exceeded my views for the month.

Grrrrr.

Can you open an incognito tab in your browser? That might work.

 

[Bindibuys]

Still, I'm just a strange Farang there so they tolerate my polite refusal.

I had to google that......I first thought you had spelt Ferengi incorrectly and was going to say my husband is also a Ferengi.

 

[RB]

Can you open an incognito tab in your browser? That might work.

Both the main Sydney papers have really stepped up their "no free read" efforts.

 

[Pushka]

Ditto for the UK, but it's first past the post here rather than having to look at the whole preferences malarkey.



Can you open an incognito tab in your browser? That might work.

Oh I wish we had first past the post here.

 

[Cossie]

Geez, they are so prolific in Thailand I reckon you could get a suitcase full with a day's shopping for minor purchases. They look at me funny there when I refuse to accept the plastic bags.

Still, I'm just a strange Farang there so they tolerate my polite refusal.

Add Laos and Malaysia to that list, the amount of plastic waste is deplorable, we bought 1/2 dozen items in a small shop in Sabah, said no to a bag, so the cashier had to put "paid" stickers on each of the items rather than sealing a plastic bag with the "paid" labled tape!

Did anyone else catch the "plastic" fragments in bottled water on SBS news tonight?

Another link here: Plastic particles found in bottled water

We separate all our "soft" plastic wrappings to be disposed of separately, it may still end up in landfill, but at least I know we have tried a little.

Never understood bottled water in a developed country, smart advertising I guess, create a market where there isn't a need and hammer it, still drinking water from a tap? You loser.....

My ex bil used to go on about how bad Sydney tap water was as he glugged never ending bottles of evian! I'm sure a chemical analysis would show that tap water probably has less salt and other nasties in it than so called "mineral water".

 

[Milboo]

We had a TV ad with a CG created balloon in it - we got hate mail.

Say what! What was the balloon doing?

Hopefully they did not make an ASB complaint claiming something like breach of prevailing community standards! ASB complaints are fun reading.